The Girl Behind the Dragon
by aleera-mistressofallevil
Summary: Everyone knows the story about the princess who was cursed from birth to prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep. Now that same story is retold, but from the perspective of someone who worked for the Mistress of all Evil herself. Follow her as she tries to sort between what is right and wrong while trying to live with Maleficent watching her every move.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So this is just a little something that I started working on when I heard about the new Maleficent movie, which I am very excited about! I wanted to write my own version about Maleficent's side of the story before it came out. I know that the idea of Maleficent's back story has been done before, but I thought, what the heck. So please enjoy, and let me know if I should continue with this.**

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Many of you have heard of the woman I work for, Maleficent, but I'm sure that no one has ever known that there was actually another human, let alone a female, in the castle. Yep, that would be me, her personal maid, Helen. Yes, a lot of my life consisted of chores, but it's not as if I minded much. It was the least I could do, after all that my Lady had done for me.

No one ever seemed to question my Mistress's power. Neither did they question her goals, for fear of upsetting her. People however have been curious as to her background and her motives, for what could make the Mistress of all evil be so…evil. That I can not answer, for I simply know her from my experience of working for her. This is my story, my life, which is probably best started from the beginning.

For as long as I can remember, I had worked for Maleficent in the Forbidden Fortress. I had always done as I was told, because I had seen what her wrath could do. I was just glad that I didn't have to be in her army of goons. I think I would kill myself if I had to spend all day with those imbeciles. In just one conversation with them, you feel like you are talking to a brick wall. Actually, the wall would probably be more interesting to talk to than them.

My job was simple. Take care of any of my Lady's needs, ranging from preparing meals, to cleaning (which wasn't the easiest thing for one person to do in a decaying place like that), to taking care of that wretched bird that followed her everywhere. I think its name suited it perfectly, Diablo, for that bird was the Devil. Anytime that there was anything wrong that I did, he was sure to let me know by biting at my fingers or giving my hair a good tug with his talons. Needless to say, he wasn't necessarily my favorite character to be around.

Everyday usually consisted of waking up before dawn and working until the waning light of day. Most of the time, if I wasn't busy doing chores, I would be waiting on my Lady hand and foot. I had a favorite corner near her throne that I would stand in, waiting for her next command. Of course most of the time, I was receiving glares from Diablo, he didn't like it when I was too close to his mistress.

When she wasn't yelling at her goons, she was usually pacing, sparing me the occasional glance over her shoulder. I made sure to never make eye contact with her when she did; she didn't like it when that happened and there was usually some sort of punishment that came along with it.

The days of my childhood working for Maleficent seemed to pass by at an alarming rate for anyone's childhood. At times it is hard to remember any certain day, for they all seem to blend together. The part in my life where I can seem to remember individual days clearly was that fateful day, when I found him.

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**~aleera-mistressofallevil~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for everyone who has read this so far. I know that the last chapter was a little short, but hopefully in this chapter you might start to get a better idea of what the characters, mainly Helen, are like. Please don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Disney's Sleeping Beauty, which all credit for them goes to their rightful owners.**

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I had been trying to tidy up the throne room, for there were the remains of one of the goons' bon fires from the night before still left. I woke up extremely early, in the hopes that I would be able to remove all traces of their little gathering, before my Mistress had woken up. I was franticly cleaning, sweeping up the ashes and making sure that, even in the castle's dismal state; you wouldn't be able to tell there was anything there before hand.

As soon as I had finished, I walked outside to get some fresh air and to watch the rising of the sun. At times, that seemed to be the only light that I ever saw, that wasn't the haunting green flames that my Lady was so well known for. I was sitting near the front gate of the castle, on the draw bridge. I was surprised to see that the guard that had been on duty was fast asleep. I thought about waking him up, but I decided against it. Besides, it was sometimes fun to see them reprimanded. I had to make sure that I stifled my laughter, so that Maleficent didn't think I was laughing at her anger and displeasure, which received a night of being locked in the dungeon. Let me tell you, you meet quite a few nasty characters down there at times.

I quietly passed him, so that the tables wouldn't turn on me. As soon as I was sure that I was clear, I made a quick dash to the forest at the end of the mountain. I loved to walk through the lush grass bare foot; it was so much more relaxing than walking on the cold stone floors of the Forbidden Fortress. I quickly headed to my favorite spot, just outside the castle grounds. It wasn't much, but it was a place where I could get away from my life for awhile and think on other things.

As I was reaching the forest, I noticed some movement along the tree line. I quickly hid behind one of the giant boulders that lined the end of the Forbidden Mountain. I watched closely to see if anything would approach. At first, it seemed to be nothing, but right as I was about to come out from behind my hiding spot, I noticed that there was a figure starting to approach.

He looked like he was my age, maybe a year older or so, but definitely not in his teen years yet. I could tell that he was scared beyond belief, for his knees were shaking and he was as white as a ghost. Once he had left the safety of the forest, he stopped in his tracks, staring at the castle ahead. I couldn't understand why he seemed terrified, for I had never thought of the castle as a scary place. Yes it was a little intimidating, on a first glance, and when my Lady was angry, the lighting that surrounded the castle did not give it the most welcoming aura. I turned back around to see that the boy was looking down at a small scroll that he was holding in his hands.

I quickly became curious about what was contained in that scroll. He looked down at his scroll, then back up at the castle. I took a deep breath and carefully climbed up the rock a little so that I could get a better look at him. But by the time I peeked over, he was already running back towards the forest, the scroll that was in his hands a moment ago was on the ground.

Once he had left my field of vision, I quietly left the safety of the rock and picked up the scroll. As I drew closer to it, I noticed that it had the seal of King Stephan on it. I quickly picked it up, knowing that it must be for my mistress, for she was the only one who ever would receive something this important, and from the look of the fresh paper, I could tell it was urgent.

I quickly headed up towards the castle, past the guard who was still asleep, up the multiple flights of stairs, up to my Lady's room. By the time I had got there, I was gasping for breath. That was probably the fastest I had ever run in my life. Maleficent didn't like for information to be withheld from her, especially anything from the royal families. If it wasn't delivered fast enough by her standards, there was usually some form of punishment; for me, it was usually a week in the dungeon.

Luckily, when I got there she was still peacefully sleeping. I leaned against the wall, attempting to catch my breath. Once I had done so, I quietly entered the room and waited in my usual corner, where I was to wait to help prepare my mistress for the day. I didn't have to wait long, for she awoke shortly after. I waited quietly until she addressed me.

"Helen," she said in her usual cold tone. It was near impossible that you could arouse any sort of emotion other than anger from her.

"Yes, my Lady?"

She looked straight down at the scroll I still had in my hand. "What is that?"

"A message for you. I believe it is from King Stephan's court."

As soon as I had said the monarch's name, I could see that the scroll had gained her full attention. She extended her hand motioning for the scroll. I quickly gave it to her. I then went to gather her robes, and from the corner of my eye, I watched her break the seal and read the scroll. I watched as her eyes widened and an evil smile came across her face.

"This may be most…beneficial." She then turned towards me. "Helen, make haste, I have a royal invitation I must attend to." I quickly helped her dress, making sure that everything was in place. The most difficult part, was putting on her head dress. I had to make sure that every single strand of her long, jet black hair was tucked inside. After five minutes of intense concentration, I ran over to the side of her bed and grabbed her staff. As soon as I handed it to her, she placed the scroll on the bed.

"See to it that Diablo is fed, and the rest of your chores are finished before I return."

"Yes my lady," I said, making a small curtsy. After I had replied, Maleficent left in a swift blast of green flames. Even after she had vanished, there were still green flames where she had stood not just two seconds before. I was careful not to touch the flames, no matter how close they danced towards me, threatening to set me on fire by licking the ends of my dress. Even though the flames did not burn Maleficent, they could do a number on any mere mortal who tried to touch them.

I myself learned the hard way. When I was little, I would always love to watch Maleficent go to and from the castle, leaving the emerald flames to stay for a short amount of time. One time, I thought that if the fire didn't consume my mistress, I should be fine. I stuck my hand into the flames to see what it felt like, but instead of finding a satisfying reaction, I felt the fire burn intensely, quickly eating away at my skin.

I was lucky enough to not lose my arm and only escape with a burn that ran up my arm. I still have it to this day. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Maleficent didn't act as if she cared and made me continue with my duties, despite the temporary loss of an arm. I did however notice that from time to time, there was a certain, for lack of a better word, sympathy in her eyes. It was almost as if she was sorry for me, but I got rid of that thought as soon as it popped in my head, for why would the Mistress of all evil show any compassion towards a simple girl?

As I watched the fire die down, I turned towards Diablo's perch, where he glared at me with those eyes that only showed disapproval towards me.

"Alright, come on you." He simply cawed back at me, making it known that I would not make him move from where he was without a fight. "Look you stupid bird, I don't want to touch you, let alone be in the same room as you, but orders are orders."

With every step that I took towards him, he inched towards the far side of his perch. I held out my arm to him, hoping that he wouldn't go claw first like he usually did, this way I could walk him out to the perch and watch for where he went, in case Maleficent needed him for an errand and he wasn't in the castle.

Today was one of the lucky days, Diablo only jabbed me with one of his claws. As I walked him out towards the balcony that was at the entrance of Maleficent's room, the two of us glared at each other. There was an established hatred towards each other, but when Maleficent was around, he was very crafty in how he tortured me. I guess he had become that way from learning from Maleficent's own cunning abilities.

Once we had reached the ledge, Diablo quickly left my arm. Before he flew off towards the forest, he made a few circles around my head, pecking at me, making me duck. I know it may sound crazy, but I'm almost positive that the bird was laughing at me. After he had his fun, he left towards the forest, in the direction of King Stephan's castle. I watched him fade into the distance, wishing that I was able to leave the castle premises whenever I wanted to.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks everyone who has read this story so far! I hope it hasn't been too boring, lol. Please let me know what you think of this chapter via reviews of PMs! Enjoy!**

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With all my chores for the day being done, I headed back to my room. It was small, but it wasn't like I needed a lot of room to put things, for I only had one dress, a bed, and a small hand mirror with a crack running through it. The bed was small and stuffed with hay and uncomfortable to sleep on, but it was better than the cold stone floor, barely.

The mirror had belonged to my mistress at one time, but I found it lying in the corner of her room, collecting dust. I had asked her what she wanted me to do with it, but she simply looked at it with disdain.

"Remove it from my sight. Dispose of it in any fashion that you please." This was surprising to me because the Mistress of all evil never got rid of any of her belongings. So, since I had never owned anything of my own before, I took it as my own and hid it in my room. At times I thought of it as a gift from Maleficent, even though I knew it wasn't, but the idea that she gave me something to use as I please was more precious to me than anything else in the world.

I spent most of the day day-dreaming about how my life could be different, what life must be like outside of the castle, what it must be like to have friends, or a family. Yes, even though I am grateful for everything that Maleficent had done for me, I still did wonder what it would be like if I still had a family.

Whilst thinking about these things, I heard a faint flapping of wings outside of my window. I hopped up on my bed to get a look outside the small opening that let the light into my dark and dismal dwelling to see that there was a beautiful sunset. Even though it took my breath away, the scenery was not what had originally caught my attention. Instead it was the giant form of a black and purple dragon, hovering over the bridge to the entrance of the Forbidden Fortress. I watched intently as the dragon blew green and yellow flames at the small black figures that were the goons who were supposed to be on guard. I knew that they must have done something stupid to cause Maleficent to turn into her dragon form; it was probably them playing another one of their little games. Whatever it was though, they were not at their posts like they were supposed to be.

Did I not mention that earlier? Maleficent not only had control over the forces of nature, but she could also change her form at any moment, making her an even more deadly foe. Although most of the time she did not change shapes, she did so when it appealed to her needs. I was almost sure that the dragon was her favorite; it always seemed to leave a lasting impression on who ever her victim was. Most of the time when she was reprimanding her minions, she would strike them repeatedly with lightning, but when they caught her on a bad day or did something completely stupid, she would bring out the dragon to let all of her frustration out.

That usually left her drained when she returned to her normal stature, and making more work for me. So even though I enjoyed watching the billowing stacks of smoke and flames, I knew that I needed to head to the throne room, where Maleficent usually rested after a performance like the one that she was giving right then.

It was a good thing that I had left when I did, because when I reached the throne room, the doors flew open with such a great force they could have easily flown off of their hinges.

Despite the extreme entrance, Maleficent slowly walked into the room, struggling to catch her breath, from what I could tell. I quickly hurried over to her side, offering to help her to her seat, only to have my hands batted away. Although she would not let me help her, she grasped my shoulder with an iron like grip that I knew not to move too quickly (she had this thing where she did not like to be helped in any manner). She mostly leaned against her staff, but used me to keep her balance whilst walking up the stairs to her throne. As we reached the stone carved seat, I lightly held her arm, but she quickly drew it away once she was seated (she also had this thing about not wanting anyone to touch her).

With a sigh of exhaustion, Maleficent leaned back against the back of her seat, clutching at the collar of her robes. She let go of her staff, which slowly started to slide towards the floor, but I caught it and held on to it. I patiently waited by her side, until she finally beckoned me closer.

"Helen…my scepter…"

I quickly handed it over to her, and as I did so, she regained her breath. I watched as the tired look in her eyes vanished. It was almost as if her staff had some sort of rejuvenating power for her, which was probably why she kept it so close at all times.

After she had regained her strength and composure, Maleficent stood and turned towards me. Even though there was a fire in her eyes still, I knew it wasn't directed at me, for once.

"I am retiring to my chambers."

"Yes your Excellency."

I curtsied as I always had done and received her customary nod that she usually gave me if I had proven useful to her or had done something of merit in her eyes, which was rare. But something even stranger happened next.

"Good night."

I paused a second before replying back with, "Good night, your Excellency." I remained in my curtsy until she had passed me. It sat there, stunned for a moment. My mistress had never shown any hint of affection towards me, ever, and for her to wish me a pleasant sleep….that was just beyond me. I decided not to dwell on it for long, because as soon as Maleficent had left the room, the hoard of goons started piling into the room. I tried to get out of there as quickly as possible. Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of them, the guard who I had passed that morning who had fallen asleep, gingerly rubbing his backside which was scorched black.

Even through the snorts and screeching, I could tell that some of the others were laughing at him. He looked very angry and turned towards the others.

"How was I to know that the news about the child was to be kept a secret?" he said in a raspy voice. I paused for a second to see if they were talking about me.

"The child isn't even born yet and you brought it up. Be glad we weren't in public, or else your bum wouldn't be the only thing burnt," said the captain of the guard. He looked more like a pig than anything else, but a pig that walked on its hind legs and wore dark brown and black clothing.

I didn't understand what they were talking about when I left the room and headed up the winding stairs towards my own. I kept running through what the one guard had said in my head, _the child isn't even born yet_. No matter how hard I thought on it, I could not come up with an answer. It wasn't until I was starting to fall asleep that I finally made the connection. The child they were talking about was the same one the queen had mentioned in her summons to Maleficent. It was why Maleficent had told me "good night". It was why she acted as if I had given her some valuable asset, because I did. The queen was going to be expecting a child and Maleficent had used magic to bring it about, and did not want others to know about it. It was because of that scroll I had given her that morning that King Stephan and Queen Leah were going to have an heir to their throne.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks everyone who read the last chapter! Here is the next part. I hope you like it. Please don't forget to review afterwards!**

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Surprisingly I slept peacefully that night. It wasn't the usual sleep where I simply slept, but I had a dream. Dreams very rarely come to me during my sleep, mostly because I am too exhausted to let my imagination run free.

In the dream, I seemed to be walking through a forest. Giant trees and lush, green bushes surrounded me. The air was filled with the chatter of forest creatures. Everything seemed so….happy. I continued to walk, even though I didn't know where I was going. As I continued to walk, I soon came upon a clearing in the forest that had a small house.

That was all I had dreamt up, because I was then awoken by a loud screeching noise. I fell out of bed and found that the cause for my disturbed sleep was Diablo. Had I not looked out my little window to see that the sun was almost up, I would have hit that bird as hard as I could.

I quickly ran downstairs to start on my chores. I worked diligently, until I had Diablo come swoop down at me, signaling that Maleficent required my assistance. I quickly headed up the stairs, knowing that tardiness was not a trait that my lady looked gladly upon.

I knocked on the door when I had arrived at the top of the tallest tower. I waited until I heard her say in her usual cold voice, "Come in." I entered and closed the door behind me, curtsying right after I had done so.

"You required my assistance, your Excellency?"

"Yes, I want you to go out, into the town."

"What do you require me to acquire?"

"The local gossip."

I paused a minute. "Gossip?"

"Yes, did I stutter?" I could tell that she was quickly becoming angered.

"No, your Excellency."

"Then go. Spend about an hour listening to the peasants, merchants, and whatever nobility you may come across."

"Is there anything in particular you wish me to listen for?"

She turned towards me, her yellow eyes staring deep into mine. "I want you to simply observe their conversations. When you return, you will tell me all that you hear about, even the tiniest detail may be of importance."

I curtsied again before leaving the room, and quickly headed towards the market, where I figured I would be able to get the greatest chance of hearing what my lady was looking for.

It didn't surprise me that Maleficent didn't tell me exactly what she was looking for. She always had some sort of a plan, but never told anyone about it, unless she planned on disposing of them very soon. I had a suspicion though that it was something to deal with the king and queen. With the events that had happened the previous day, I am sure that that had to be it.

Once I had gotten into the market square, I blended right into the crowd of people that had gathered there. All the hustle and bustle of the market was different from the solitude and quiet that I was used to in the Forbidden Fortress. I almost felt….comfortable here. People didn't seem to notice that I didn't live in town, which made my job much easier. One thing I noticed was that people seemed giddy with excitement, more so than the other times that Maleficent would send me into town.

I acted like I was looking around at the items the street vendors had, when actually I was listening in on conversations that were happening all around me. Throughout all of them I kept hearing references to the king and queen. I quickly found a Nobel who had started talking to a merchant selling fabric, a duke by what I could tell from his clothing and the way he carried himself. Plus, he didn't smell quite as awful as the rest of the crowd.

"Oh yes it is splendid news indeed! I myself just returned from the royal court and the king seemed in very high spirits."

"How so?" asked the baker as he was stacking loaves of fresh bread into neat little piles.

"I'm not sure if I should be saying this, but I'll tell you anyways. The king and queen are expecting a child!"

"That cannot be! They have been married for seven years now and have not had a child yet."

"That's what makes it all the more exciting."

I quickly left, so as not to make it look like I was listening in on their conversation. As I went around town, I kept hearing little snippets of what the duke had been talking about, and everyone seemed to become happier and happier as the day went on. By the time that it was a little after midday, I left town cautiously making sure no one was watching me leave, but no one seemed to notice me. Honestly at times, that was all I wanted, was to be noticed by someone.

When I returned to the Forbidden Fortress, I quickly went to Maleficent's study. Inside there were old drawings scattered around on desks. The walls were lined with torches that blazed a bright yellow, shedding some light on the dark abyss. There were mountains of old books that looked as if they were in some sort of a cryptic language stacked around the room on shelves. At the back of the room sat Maleficent, behind her giant desk, where she was intently reading with Diablo sitting on her shoulder reading along with her.

I cleared my throat, to let her know that I was there. Maleficent didn't pick her head up, but simply waved her hand to motion me to come towards her. I did so, but as I approached the desk, she closed the heavy book that she was reading and turned her head towards me.

"Well?" she asked with the slightest hint of anxiety.

"Most of the conversations were about a rumor that seemed to be spreading around."

"Which was?"

"It was something about the king and queen…"

"Out with it girl! I don't have all day."

"They were saying that the king and queen were expecting a child." I quickly backed away, so as to not be smacked, should Maleficent decide to get angry with me.

I turned back towards her, and surprisingly saw a small smile on her face. It wasn't one of joy or happiness. No, it was a smile that had evil intentions behind it. She would get that look from time to time whenever someone was playing into her trap.

She then got up and started to walk towards me. I tried my best to conceal my fear, but I know that she could still see it. As she approached me, I closed my eyes, waiting for the worst. I was quite surprised with what happened then.

I felt something touch my head lightly. I opened one of my eyes to see Maleficent's dark robes right next to me. I then opened my other eye and looked up to see that it was her green hand on top of my hair, awkwardly patting my head. What scared me more was the fact that she was smiling down at me, which I don't ever remember happening before.

"You have done well. Now you are off for the rest of the day from your chores."

I sat there with my jaw hanging open. I knew I was because Maleficent took her long index finger and raised my chin back up so that my mouth closed.

"The rest of the day…off?"

"Yes, now run along before I lose my generous nature."

I curtsied and refrained from hugging her right then and there. She had never given me the day off before, not even when I was sick or on my birthday. I then left the room, and right before I closed the door I saw Diablo looking up at Maleficent, who still had a smirk on her face as she watched me leave the room. I don't know which I liked more, the fact that Maleficent was pleased with me or that Diablo looked like he had seen a ghost from the shock on his face.

When I closed the door, I heard something coming from behind it. I stopped where I was, curious about what I was hearing. I then quietly pressed my ear against the door and heard what sounded almost like laughter. Not the usual kind you would hear after a joke or from people having a good time. It was the maniacal laughter that I had only heard Maleficent do, and it was only when she had gained an advantage over someone else. This just helped solidify my idea that she had something to do with the coming of the new heir.

I quickly left and headed for my own room. I knew that if Maleficent caught me snooping around, things would not turn out good. Once I reached the door, I quickly opened it and locked it behind me. I then ran over to my bed and hopped on it, pulling the covers over my head. I sat there for a minute enjoying the silence, until outside I noticed that there were dark clouds starting to form. I watched as they continued to grow larger and more ominous. Once the sky was a deep blue, lighting started to strike all around the castle.

The only thing that I could think of was that Maleficent had overheard the goons talking about her plans, again. She was very particular in not wanting anyone to know what she had planned until she had planned out at least three steps ahead. I quietly watched from underneath my moth eaten covers, not making a single sound.

When I became bored of watching the commotion that Maleficent's anger was causing, I pulled out my mirror from underneath my pillow. I held the mirror up to look at about arms length, staring at myself. I had done this many times, but this time it seemed like I was seeing myself for the first time, in a long time. I kept looking at my eyes; they seemed to stand out the most to me. They were a very light brown, and when the light hit them just right, at times they looked like they had the slightest hint of yellow in them. They seemed to accent my light brown hair as well. As I took in my reflection, I slowly lifted my hand that wasn't holding the mirror up to the glass. With the tip of my finger, I traced the outline of my face in the glass, letting my thoughts start to wander.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks everyone who read and reviewed last time. This chapter is a little longer, so I hope you all enjoy it!**

**OhJollyGood16: Thanks! I really hope that you like this chapter as well.**

**DisneyVillainess: I agree. At times I like to think about what it would be like if she did have a kid.**

**Horsecrazy217: I hope that this chapter and the chapters after continue to get better!**

**SkullGauddess: I'm glad you like it so far, and just out of pure curiosity, would that be a scream of joy or anger?**

**Ok on with the story! Don't forget to review!**

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I guess most of you are wondering, _why would she work for this woman out of her own free will_? Well, that would be because of the fact that she saved my life, or so I have been told.

When I was a small child, no more than a year old, there was a terrible plague that stretched across the land. Entire villages were wiped out, including the one that I lived in. Not a single person survived, except for me. It turns out Maleficent was the one who had sent the plague after she had a quarrel with the King. Apparently, she had asked for control over the kingdom and in return, she would spare their lives. The King refused and Maleficent vowed to let every living soul in the kingdom pay for his "poor judgment and lack of vision." (Maleficent always enjoyed telling me that part of the story every time I asked to hear it as a child.)

After she had sent the plague, she went to see what was left from her handy work. As she was walking around the remains of death and decay, she heard the small cry of a child. This was odd to her, as the curse should have killed everyone. Apparently I had some immunity to the curse.

When Maleficent told the story, she said that she found me half starved, barely hanging onto life. I like to think that I wasn't that pathetic looking. No matter how malnourished I looked, Maleficent took me back to her castle. She never told me what provoked her to do so. I came up with a few theories, but the two that I like the most are that she thought if I could survive her curse, I must have sort of hidden ability that could be used against her and she wanted to keep me under her careful watch. The other is that she felt some sort of sympathy towards me. After all, I was alone in the world, just like her.

Whatever the real reason, I went home with the Mistress of all evil. She helped me back to health, and started to raise me as if I were her own (or as close to what I imagine she would raise her own child like, if she ever had one). I remember when she started to teach me how to speak, read, and write. Just because I am a maid doesn't mean I am uneducated. Whenever I started to be able to read books, it seemed at times as if Maleficent would smile a little. Everyday seemed to be a happy one, whenever she would start to teach me new and exciting things. Diablo never seemed to like me though. The more time that I seemed to spend with Maleficent, the more he seemed to hate me.

It wasn't until my sixth birthday that everything started to change for me. Maleficent started to act cold towards me, making me start to do hard labor around the castle. I originally thought it was some sort of a game, so I played along doing what few chores she gave me. After I finished my chores, I ran towards Maleficent's study, hoping that I would have some sort of surprise waiting for me.

Apparently my laughter didn't please Maleficent because when I entered the room giggling she shouted in outrage, "Silence! Do you think that I have time to play games with a silly girl like you?"

I was shocked, because she had never shouted at me before. I had seen her torment her goons for my and her amusement, but never had she acted so harshly towards me. I had assumed that it was still part of her game, so I shrugged it off.

"You can't be mad at me today; it's my birthday. Don't I get a present of some sort?" Possibly the biggest mistake I had ever made.

Maleficent then had a wicked smile come across her face. She looked over at Diablo, who was sitting on the top of her shoulder, and when they both made eye contact, I started to question the manner of this game they were playing with me.

"Yes, I have the perfect present for you." She snapped her fingers and a pair of guards entered the room. "Escort Helen to our special guest room. Make sure that she is quite comfortable."

They both nodded and started to snicker. I followed them out of the room. We walked down many flights of stairs, much further than I had ever been before. I started to grow nervous as the lights became darker and darker. I started to slow my pace, and the guards then each grabbed one of my arms and dragged me further into the darkness.

We finally reached a door that had a small opening in it that was blocked by metal bars. The guards opened it and pulled me in. There was only one small candle inside that barely lit the room. I tried to look back behind me, but was unable to when the guards pulled me further into the room and chained me to the wall. I started to lose all ideas that I had about Maleficent playing a game.

"Nighty night birthday girl," one of the guards said to me. They both laughed as they left me, all by myself, alone.

I stayed in that cell for an entire week. The small candle that had been lit in the room went out around the second day, sending me into darkness. While I was in there, I thought about why Maleficent would have put me into the dungeon. I couldn't think of anything that I had done to upset her. The only thing that I could think of one of the stories that Maleficent had told me, about the so called "good fairies" who would do anything to take me away and destroy Maleficent. I had come to the conclusion that the reason that Maleficent acted so harshly towards me was that she didn't want them to know anything about me. They could then use me as a way to defeat Maleficent, but why would I be a weakness for Maleficent?

Then it hit me. She must have developed some sort of feelings for me. How deep they were, I would probably never know, but at least I know she likes me.

I had adapted to the darkness when the door to my cell had opened. In the space that the door had formally been in, there was a giant dark shadow. I could tell that the shape was Maleficent based on the height and the horns that were on top of the figure's head. I could also tell that Diablo was sitting on her shoulder, glaring in the cell at me.

"Why so glum my dear? Was this not what you were expecting for a birthday gift?" The same guards who locked me up came in and removed the chains from my wrists. I slowly got up and walked towards the entrance, rubbing my wrists to help ease some of the pain in them.

"Have you learned your lesson?"

I slowly nodded my head, keeping quiet, hoping that I wouldn't get stuck in the dungeon again.

"Then get started on your chores. Here is the list." I took it a quickly looked it over.

Before I left I turned towards Maleficent and said, "Thank you….your Excellency." And ever since then I have gotten up early every morning, done my chores, helped Maleficent with whatever she asked of me, and received snide glares from Diablo. Now that I have given you some insight into my complicated relationship with Maleficent, let's get back to the present story.

The next nine months seemed to move by fairly quickly. As the time for the queen to give birth to her child grew near, Maleficent seemed to become more and more anxious. It was strange to me because she didn't act this way when the son of King Hubert, Philip, was born. When I asked her about it, she seemed uninterested in the little prince's existence, but now all she seemed to be concerned with was this new child.

As the end of the nine months period was almost up, Maleficent had gained a rather annoying habit of asking everyday if there had been any news from the royal family, particularly any summons or announcements for the child's christening. And every time that she asked, I had to unfortunately give her bad news. At first she was alright with the disappointing news, but she quickly grew frustrated and angry. With each day that drew closer and closer to the christening and there still never being an invitation for Maleficent, her wrath continued to grow.

The day before the christening, Maleficent came up to me as I was attempting to clean her carved stone throne. There was such anger in her face and her eyes seemed to burn with it. She pulled me up by my hair, almost pulling it out.

"Where is it?!" She asked in a demanding voice.

I automatically knew what she was talking about and just got on with saying, "It never came, your excellence."

"Did you simply look for it just once? Did you check other entrances around the castle? It must be here!"

"I swear, I looked everywhere, multiple times, and there was nothing." I was trying my hardest not to let any tears fall, even though I thought she was going to rip my head off right then and there.

"Useless girl!" She then flung me down on the ground. "I don't know why I still keep you around here." I kept silent, which I had learned at the age of five was the best answer I could ever give her. She then stormed off towards her study, and as soon as she had left the room I could hear thunder surrounding the castle.

Honestly I had been hoping for an invitation to arrive as well. I had hoped that maybe if Maleficent had received an invitation, just maybe, I would be able to have gone along with. I had never been to any other castle before and I had always wondered how it differed from Maleficent's domain. As I pondered what could have possibly happened to Maleficent's invitation, I started to rub the top of my head, hoping that it would help numb some of the pain. I knew that the Mistress of all evil did not need an invitation to show up to any event, but it seemed like she had been expecting one for as long as the news of the child started to come about.

The next morning I walked down the stairs half asleep. I hadn't really gotten much sleep the night before because I kept thinking of all the things that could happen to me if Maleficent didn't get her invitation.

When I went into the throne room, I was the only one there. It seemed as if the entire castle was still asleep. At least I would be able to enjoy the last few minutes of my life with peace and quiet. As I saw the first few rays of the sun start to peak out over the horizon, I took a deep breath and decided to head up to Maleficent's chambers. I was very slowly walking to the top of the stairs. I didn't want to have to get the brunt of her wrath, even though I was not the one her quarrel was with. I slowly poked my head into the room and saw that Maleficent was already awake. I quickly entered the room and grabbed her robes and head dress.

"Did it finally arrive?"

I hesitated before I answered. "No my lady. Nothing has come to the castle from the king and queen."

I closed my eyes tightly, thinking that the end was about to come right then and there, but nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see that Maleficent was staring at me. She had a straight face with no emotion whatsoever. I looked up at her, but I wasn't sure what she would do next.

"Finish with this and then prepare my study."

I wasn't sure exactly what would happen, but I knew that it couldn't be good.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed last time! You guys don't know how much it makes my day to see when people respond to my stories. In this chapter we finally start to get into the movie, which means the classic lines that everyone loves! Please don't forget to review afterwards! **

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I went down the steps towards Maleficent's study. As I got closer and closer, it started to get colder and colder. I opened the door and started putting the books that were out away, and making sure that the potion ingredients were all in order. I turned around quickly when the door flew open and in stepped Maleficent.

"Prepare the cauldron," she said in a disdainful voice. I quickly ran over to where the cauldron was stored and pushed it towards the center of the floor. Once it was next to Maleficent, she swung her arms and bottles started flying from the shelf. Some went whizzing by my head, causing me to duck so I wasn't in the way. The cauldron quickly filled up with a dark orange liquid. Maleficent then pointed her finger at the potion and a flash of lightning sparked from her finger. The lighting struck the potion and an enormous cloud of smoke billowed forth from the mouth of the cauldron.

Once it finally cleared from my eyes, I could see that the potion had turned a sickly green, sparkling with sliver foam on the top. Maleficent then waved her hand over the cauldron and the top started to ripple and then revealed the grand hall of King Stephan's palace. I inched closer to get a better look, but not too close that I obstructed any of Maleficent's view. As I inched closer and closer, Maleficent became fixated on the scene that was happening in front of us.

There were hundreds, if not thousands of people standing in the room, all ranging from high to low estate. The room suddenly was filled with the sound of trumpets. In walked King Hubert and his son, Prince Philip. King Hubert was a rather large man with a white mustache that encompassed much of his face. Philip was no more than five years old and very well behaved for a child that age because he didn't seem to be upset about the christening gifts that weren't for him like most children would be. Instead he bowed as was customary for visiting royalty and was then led over towards the crib where the new child slept. The queen gently laid her arm on his shoulder as the two looked down at the sleeping child.

King Stephan then raised his arms and in a loud voice said, "Today we announce the betrothal of my new daughter Aurora to Prince Phillip, the son of King Hubert."

The entire hall seemed to erupt with cheers. Philip then tilted his head to the side, not knowing what being betrothed meant, but from his facial expression, I could tell that he wasn't very happy about it. I then looked up at Maleficent, who was leaning very close to the cauldron, as if this information was very interesting to her.

I turned my attention back towards the cauldron when I heard the sound of more trumpets. In the center of the room, a shaft of light fell to the floor. It started glimmering as three colorful figures started to appear. The shimmering lights soon turned into three elderly ladies. The herald that was announcing them introduced them as the "three good fairies". I then remembered that Maleficent had never been very fond of them before. I looked back at her and, even though it was hard to see from the light the cauldron was emitting on her, her face was starting to turn a deep shade of green, which I always associated with her becoming very angry. I started to back away slowly, making sure I didn't catch Maleficent's eye.

"How dare they invite those pathetic excuses for fairies?! They are a disgrace to those of us with magical powers!"

I watched closely as the fairies started to head towards the King and Queen.

They each curtsied and said, "Your majesties."

The tall one, who seemed to be their leader, was dressed in pink. She then addressed the monarchs.

"Each of us, the child may bless with a single gift. No more, no less."

She then went over towards the crib and said, "Little Princess, my gift shall be the gift of beauty."

She then waved her wand and a green and blue cloud started to form but quickly had flowers, particularly roses, form on top of it. Then from within the roses appeared the image of a maiden with long blond hair and atop her head sat a tiara. The cloud then started to disappear and fall in a small shower of green sparkles atop the still sleeping child.

The second fairy stepped forward. She was dressed just like the other one, but her attire was all green.

"Tiny Princess, my gift shall be the gift of song." She waved her wand just as the other had and another cloud appeared, but this time it was a dark blue. It then started to have bird flying around in it. The cloud disappeared as the one before did and fell in a shower of blue sparkles.

Before the third fairy could step up to the cradle, Maleficent stepped back from the cauldron and said, "We shall see how much the little princess will like my gift."

She then snapped her fingers and in the cauldron the scene quickly started to turn from joyous to fearful, for an enormous gust of wind had blown open the doors. She then was engulfed in flames and within seconds, a loud bolt of lightning cracked in the center of the cauldron's scene. I leaned back over the cauldron and saw that the same flames that Maleficent left in started to form there. When she had appeared, the entire crowd gasped.

The green fairy who had just given her gift to the Princess said, "Why, it's Maleficent."

"What does she want here?" asked the blue fairy, who was not able to give her gift to the Princess due to Maleficent's arrival. She was then silenced by the fairy dressed in pink.

Maleficent addressed the group of monarchs who were standing in front of her, their eyes full of fear and shock.

"Well, quite a glittering assemblage King Stephan." She then started addressing each group that was present. "Royalty, nobility, the gentry, and," she paused. With a smirk on her face she paused and looked over at the fairies. She then let out a small chuckle before addressing them. "How quaint, even the rabble."

This comment angered the blue fairy who tried to fly towards Maleficent, but was held back by the pink fairy. Maleficent then returned her cold gaze towards the new parents.

"I really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation." I knew that this was directly stated towards the Queen.

The blue fairy fired back with, "You weren't wanted."

This comment came to Maleficent as a shock, or so she made it look like. Her eyes became wide with surprise.

"Not want," she then let out a small sigh and replied, "Oh dear, what an awkward situation. I had hoped it was merely due to some oversight." While she said this, she was stroking Diablo who was sitting on top of her staff.

She then turned to leave and said, "Well in that event I'd best be on my way." She smirked back towards the Queen.

"And, you're not offended your Excellency?"

Maleficent turned back towards the Queen. "Why no your Majesty, and to show I bare no ill will, I too shall bestow a gift on the child." The three 'good' fairies defensively surrounded the cradle that held the child.

Maleficent raised her arms saying, "Listen well, all of you." She then brought her staff down with a crash that echoed through the hall. She then continued with her "gift".

"The princess shall indeed, grow in grace and beauty. Beloved by all who know her. But," Maleficent's gaze turned from the pleasant one she had been wearing to furious, and she started waving her hand over her staff. The orb atop it started to glow when she said, "before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and die!"

The Queen rushed over towards the cradle and picked the child up in her arms. Fear had completely taken over her as Maleficent started to cackle that same maniacal laugh that put fear into everyone who heard it.

King Stephan pointed at her and ordered, "Seize that creature!"

As the guards approached her with sharp spears, Maleficent raised her arms and flames erupted around her. "Stand back you fouls!" Thunder crackled through the hall and Maleficent started to laugh as she transported herself back to the castle.

I stepped back from the cauldron as Maleficent reappeared next to me. She was still laughing, but not quite as evilly as she had at the castle. She then walked back towards the cauldron to see her handy work.

"Don't despair, your Majesties. Meriwether still has her gift to give," said the pink fairy. I watched carefully to see what she would be giving.

"Then, she can undo this fearful curse?" asked the King.

"Oh no Sire!" replied the one called Meriwether.

The fairy dressed in pink stated, "Maleficent's powers are far too great." This made Maleficent smile.

"It is about time they recognized that," she said out loud.

The fairy dressed in green then said, "But she can help," and this caused Maleficent's smile to alter some.

Meriwether then rolled up her sleeves and waved her wand as the other two did. "Sweet Princess, if through this wicked witch's trick, a spindle should your finger prick, a ray of hope there still may be in this, the gift I give to thee. Not in death, but just in sleep this fateful prophecy you'll keep. And from this slumber you shall wake when true love's kiss, the spell shall break."

We watched as the crowd then departed from the hall. Maleficent then waved her hand over the cauldron, making the image inside it to disappear. She then started pacing around the room, her hands behind her back clutching each other. Her face was stern, but not mean, because she was deep in thought over the last fairy's gift to the princess.

Maleficent stopped after a few minutes of pacing, her face aglow. She then started quietly laughing to herself. She then turned her attention towards me.

"That fairy has unknowingly made my curse worse for the princess."

I was unsure of how this could possibly be. "How your Excellency? She has prevented her from dying like you intended."

"Of course, but this eternal sleep will make them suffer even more."

I still was unsure how this was possible and it must have shown on my face because Maleficent went into further detail.

"The incompetent fool has made it so that her 'true love's kiss' will break the spell, but if I posses her true love then I can make her stay asleep for hundreds of years, without her growing older and her love on the doorsteps of death. Then I shall let him go to her and we shall indeed see if true love can conquer all."

When she explained it to me, it made perfect sense. Not only make the princess and royal family suffer, but also the fairies who tried to challenge Maleficent's curse.

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**Yay! I hope you guys liked it. Please let me know!  
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	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back! Sorry for such a long wait, but school has been very busy lately. Thanks to everyone who read the last chapter and/or favorited the story.  
**

**SkullGauddess: I am excited to start going into more familiar territory, but I'm going to see how I can throw some twists into it.  
**

**Jena: I'm glad that you like it so far!  
**

**No-hablo-ingles: I hope that you like this chapter as much as the previous ones.  
**

**Alright, enjoy! Please leave a comment.  
**

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I then waited until I was dismissed from Maleficent's study before I hurried off to finish my chores. It didn't take me very long to finish, as I had already started on them earlier that day. While I was finishing sweeping up the throne room, something caught my eye from one of the holes in the wall. I went over to see if I was imagining things, but when I saw the giant column of smoke and flames I knew I hadn't been imagining things.

I quickly ran back to Maleficent's study. I cautiously knocked on the door and waited. My knock was quickly answered with Maleficent saying, "You may enter."

I then quickly opened the door and ran inside saying, "Your Excellency, outside, there is something burning."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "And this is to concern me why?"

"It is a larger fire than I have ever seen before."

This seemed to catch her interest. She stood up and walked over towards the window, I quickly followed behind her. I pointed in the direction that I had seen it coming from. Maleficent didn't say anything for a long time, but just stood there pondering. She then looked over towards Diablo, who was perched on her shoulder, and held out her left hand for him to sit on. He hopped over from her shoulder and looked at her curiously.

"Go my pet. See what is causing this."

He then flew off into the distance towards the pillar of smoke. I watched him slowly disappear into the distance. Although I would never admit it, I was kind of jealous of him being able to fly where ever he wanted to. I'm not saying that I didn't like Maleficent's castle, it is just that I wanted to see the far off lands that I had read about so long ago.

While daydreaming about where I would go, I unknowing let out a small sigh. I quickly straightened up, hoping that Maleficent hadn't heard it. I stole a quick glance in her direction, but she didn't seem to be paying me much attention at all. Instead she was rubbing her chin, obviously in deep thought. I stepped back a little, to give her room in case she started to pace, which she did whenever she started to think on very important matters.

After about twenty minutes of waiting, Diablo started to come back into view. When he flew through the window, he landed on Maleficent's hand. Diablo would caw every few seconds and would rustle his feathers occasionally. Somehow Maleficent seemed to understand what he was saying, I assume telepathically. I wasn't sure if this was due to a spell or if she just naturally had this ability. Never the less, whatever he was telling her was important.

"Interesting," she said after listening to Diablo, "but they must know that a simple bonfire will not stop my curse from being enacted." A wicked smile came across her face. She started quietly chuckling to herself.

I still wasn't sure why there was a bonfire, and me being the curious person that I am asked, "What are they burning?"

Maleficent turned towards me, a smirk on her face. I think she liked it when I asked questions because she could give the speeches that she did so well.

"The King thinks that by simply burning every spinning wheel in the kingdom he will protect his daughter, but he is sorely mistaken. He can keep burning them for the entire sixteen years, but he will never be able to protect his precious daughter from her inevitable fate, and just to think that this all could have been avoided if the Queen had kept her end of the bargain."

"Yes your Excellency."

"You may take your leave now Helen," she nodded her head.

I curtsied and then left for my room. After everything that had happened that day, I needed to sit a minute and just let things process in my mind. When I reached my room, I opened the door and quietly closed it behind me. I then slowly walked to my bed and sat down.

I knew that the good fairies would try and come up with some plan to save the princess. That much I knew of for sure, but what I didn't know was how or what they were going to do.

I looked outside my window to see that the sun was starting to set. I quietly sat there and watched as the golden rays of light slowly faded behind the horizon. I then laid my head down on my pillow, and started to slowly drift off to sleep.

The next day marked the beginning of Maleficent's quest to carry out her curse. When I went to go feed Diablo I noticed that he wasn't on his original perch. I assumed that it wasn't a big deal, so I went on with the rest of my chores, starting to clean up Maleficent's study, hand out rations to the prisoners, and things of that nature. When I was done with my chores, I started to make Maleficent's tea, which she required every day ten minutes before noon, precisely.

As I was starting to carry up the tray with piping hot tea, a cup, and sugar cubes, I started wondering if Diablo was back yet. I had brought his food just in case. When I reached the door, I carefully repositioned the tray in my hand, so as not to drop anything, and knocked on the door.

"Enter," Maleficent answered in her usually cold voice.

"I have your tea, your Excellency."

Maleficent was staring out the window, holding her staff close to her. I noticed that she was slowly running her hand over the crystal orb that was on top.

"Put it on the table," she said, waving her hand in the direction of the table. I went and gently placed the tray on the table. I carefully poured the tea, making sure not to let a single drop leave the cup. I then added two lumps of sugar to the cup and carefully stirred it. I then placed the cup back on the tray. Maleficent then gracefully turned and headed towards the table. I pulled out a chair for her, which she then sat in and started to slowly drink her tea.

I stood to the side, patiently waiting for any further request that she might have. Time seemed to slowly pass by. It almost seemed as if time wasn't moving at all. We stayed there in silence, neither saying a word to the other, that is until Maleficent turned her gaze towards me.

It wasn't the same cold stare that I usually received, but instead it was if she were analyzing me. I stood still, averting my gaze towards the ground. It startled me a little to hear her voice.

"How old are you Helen?"

Her question caught me off guard and it took me a minute to come up with the answer. "Eleven, soon to be twelve."

Maleficent merely raised an eyebrow and continued to drink her tea. It was quiet for a few more minutes until Diablo came into the room. He sat on his perch, turning his head towards me. To me it looked like he raised an eyebrow at me, which signaled he wanted his food and was questioning why it wasn't already out for him.

I then opened the small pouch that contained the feed that Maleficent had decided to have me feed him. Diablo looked down at the food, then up at me in disgust.

"If you don't like it, you can get your own food. Besides if it was up to me, I would let you starve," I said under my breath to him. Diablo then nipped at me and cawed, making me step back. We both then turned towards Maleficent when we heard her chuckle to herself. She seemed to enjoy seeing the two of us bicker, as if it was some sort of personal amusement for her.

She then placed her cup on the saucer that she held in her left hand. "Well?" she asked Diablo. I turned towards him to see him slowly shaking his head. I then looked back towards Maleficent. She slowly lifted her cup back to her lips, but paused before finishing her tea.

"I knew that Flora would attempt to do something like this. Tomorrow will begin the intensive search for the child." She then took a final sip of tea and placed her cup back on the tray.

"Helen, take care of this."

"Yes your Excellency."

I then started placing everything back on the tray. As I was about to leave the room, I turned back towards Maleficent, who had taken her place next to the window again.

"Is there anything else that you need from me?"

"Yes, tomorrow you are to go to the village and see if you can find any traces as to where the princess is hidden."

I curtsied and said, "Yes, your Excellency."

I left the room and went back down to the kitchen to drop off the tray and everything that was on it. While I was walking past some of the guards I overheard a few words, such as "castle" and "walked all that way for nothing".

I started piecing together everything I heard and came to the conclusion that Maleficent had sent to goons out to search the castle for the princess with Diablo at the lead. Apparently their search had ended up with them returning empty handed, and that was why Maleficent was sending me out to look for clues. I guess I am not a very suspicious looking character to the normal person, but it only they knew who I worked for.

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**Don't forget to let me know what you think!  
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**~aleera-mistressofallevil  
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	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks everyone who had read and reviewed the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Please don't forget to review afterwards!**

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The next day, I left for the village after I had finished helping Maleficent get ready. As I slowly walked down the path that lead from the entrance of the castle to the edge of the Forbidden Mountain and the forest that surrounded it, I started thinking about everything that had happened within the past few days. The disappearance of the princess wasn't all that surprising, because I knew that King Stephan and the Queen would not go down without a fight trying to protect their daughter. It was the fact that it had happened within a day of the girl's christening that puzzled me.

Surely the Royals would not have thought of hiding the Princess somewhere outside of the castle. They weren't smart enough to come up with an idea like that. It must have been the fairies who had thought of something. From my understanding, Maleficent has had a strong dislike for the fairies for years, maybe even decades.

I continued to think of things such as this as I walked through the woods until I reached the village that was on the outskirts of the castle. I started my search for any inkling of a trace near the stores that I knew the nobles would be closer to. They would be more likely to tell me what I wanted to know. I waited around, trying my best not to look suspicious, for what seemed like hours before I even saw someone who looked like they had any trace of wealth.

He was not completely free of dirt and filth, but he was much more presentable than everyone else that I had seen that day. As he started to draw closer, I quickly made it look like I was preoccupied at looking in one of the nearby stores. Unfortunately he noticed me, and as he walked passed he smiled and ruffled my hair. I watched him disappear into a shop and quickly fixed my hair as best I could. I know that the gesture was purely friendly, but in no way did it make me happier.

Making sure to keep out of sight, but still within hearing distance, I waited patiently to see if he knew anything about the princess's whereabouts. It took him about twenty minutes before he even started talking to the lady who was running back and forth fetching different hats. From the looks of the man, and the sort of hats he was looking at, he seemed to be a knight.

"What would you suggest for a formal Royal Counsel meeting? It is my first one and I am not sure what would be appropriate."

The woman's eyes became giddy with excitement. "Well, I would say something like this would do. Not too extravagant, but not too simple either," she said while holding up a small black feathered cap. "Is there any big news recently since Princess Aurora's disappearance?"

_The peasants seem to know that the Princess is gone_ I thought to myself.

"Dear lady lower your voice! Things such as this should not be discussed in public. Besides I have taken an oath to keep such things quiet. You never know when one of the Evil One's minions is lurking just outside."

_He guessed that one right didn't he _I sarcastically thought to myself. It was a good thing that Maleficent had sent me instead of one of her guards. Besides, they would stick out in any crowd. Even Diablo couldn't go unnoticed, for he had been seen at but he did not have that element of surprise like I did.

The knight and the shop keeper continued to talk on the subject of hats for the next few minutes. I seriously had hoped that he would have let something slip as to the Princess's whereabouts. To make it look like I was just like any other innocent child that would happen to be outside the shop, I picked a nearby daisy and started slowly plucking off the petals. Shortly after, he walked out of the shop and headed back the way he came.

I stayed in the village for the majority of the day, with no luck. No one seemed to know where the Princess was hidden. None of those who would be anywhere close to the royal family knew anything, not even the servants who worked in the kitchen knew any detail. What I was starting to gather was that the King and Queen didn't even know where their daughter was hidden. This just continued to solidify the theory that the three good fairies had taken the child into hiding.

Anyone who had brought up the subject of the missing princess always had to throw something in about how hard life would be for those who worked for Maleficent. Even though they had a point, most would over exaggerate saying things such as more servants would be killed every day that Aurora was not found. Although some sort of punishment would be enacted for not getting further in the search, they did not give Maleficent enough credit. She was smarter than that to just simply smite every one of her servants who didn't find the infant.

When the sun was almost at sun set, I headed back to the Forbidden Mountains, being as cautious as I could possibly be to make sure no one was following me back. By the time I had finally reached the castle the first rays of the sun were starting to fall behind the horizon. I paused as I was walking up to Maleficent's study to watch the beautiful scene unfold before me. Sunsets were possibly the most beautiful part of everyday, the way that the colors would magically change in the sky.

Once the final rays had said goodnight and fell behind the horizon, I quickly continued up to Maleficent's study. Before I could even knock on the door, it swung open with Maleficent on the other side standing by the window. Maleficent turned her head towards me then back towards the window.

"Ahh, Helen. I was starting to wonder if you had gotten yourself into trouble."

"No your Excellency, not this time."

"What did you discover while you were out?"

I took a deep breath, knowing that I did not have the answer that Maleficent was looking for. "The only thing that I heard was that those who are close to the King and Queen are not to discuss the subject, ever."

"Hmm," Maleficent replied as though she already knew what I had seen.

"I am truly sorry that I could not find more for you, but, if I may, I have thought of a possible reason why I couldn't find anything."

Maleficent turned slightly towards me; just enough so that I could see her eyebrow was slightly raised.

"Out with it," she said in a cold voice.

"Well, perhaps, the King and Queen don't even know of the Princess's exact whereabouts. The fairies most likely took the child and are in hiding with her right now."

Maleficent then completely turned towards me with a smile on her face. Not the kind of smile that would indicate happiness or affection, but the kind that showed she had already thought two steps ahead of me.

"Very good. I had already come to that conclusion myself, but it is good to know that at least some of my staff has some sort of a brain."

I lowered my head. I should have known that Maleficent would have already thought of that.

"You are dismissed Helen."

I curtsied and left the room and headed towards my own**.**

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**Let me know what you thought.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Sorry that it has taken so long to update this, but school has been controlling my life as of late. Plus from the end of the last chapter to the next point in the original Disney story, 16 years pass, which is a long time, so I didn't want to skip over it. I'm just going to address all comments that I have had since the last update right now. **

**spatterson: yes, I am using a similar idea in this chapter and I hope that you were still patient enough to wait for this chapter!  
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**James Birdsong: I am glad that you have like them so far. That is my main goal, to please my readers.  
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**Hey: I am sorry it has taken me so long, I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
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**Maleficent: Here is the next chapter. Love your name by the way ;)  
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**Ok, so without further delay, enjoy! Please leave a comment or message me if you have any suggestions.  
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The next ten years passed by relatively quickly. Maleficent would send her troops out for week long searches throughout neighboring villages, and still no sign of the Princess. I myself had been sent out numerous times as well; looking for the Princess after the troops had left a village to see if she had come out of hiding.

It started to become harder and harder to find anything about the princess. All conversations about her had almost become extinct. Plus people started to notice me more and more. It was easy for a child to go unnoticed, but now I was spotted by almost every shop keeper. I guess that is something that comes along with being 21. There was, however, one day that differed from the others.

It started off as just a normal day. I went into town and tried my best not to attract to attention of anyone else. I kept to the shadows mostly; it seemed to be the only place that I wouldn't get flagged down by some store owner asking me to buy their goods. I thought I was safe, until I heard the sound of trumpets. I looked around to see that everyone was making a path for a line of horses that were walking towards us. As they drew nearer, I could see that it was King Hubert and Prince Philip, neither of which I had seen since the announcement of the royal engagement.

People started pushing closer and closer towards the street, dragging me along with them. As they started to ride closer and closer, everyone started kneeling, except me. I was trying to get back to my little safe haven, but by the time I was able to get back to where I wanted to, a loud voice filled the air.

"Halt in the name of the King!"

I turned to see that it was one of the guards who was riding with them that had said this, and he was looking directly at me as was someone else, Prince Philip. He couldn't have been more than 17 by the looks of him. I didn't know what to do, so I froze where I was. I looked around and noticed that I was the only one not kneeling. The guard hopped off his horse and started to head towards me.

"Wait!" He stopped and turned back towards the Prince, who had just gotten off his horse as well. As Philip walked towards me, I started to tense up. I wanted to flee, but I knew that they would chase after me.

"Usually when I pass by, people are always bowing, but you are the first one to not be doing so. Why is that?"

"I was trying to head back home to my dying mother, your highness. It was not meant in disrespect." I don't know where that story had come from, but it seemed to have an effect on the prince. His face softened and he grabbed a rose from the flower cart that was nearby. He then turned back towards me and handed the flower to me.

"Then please, go to her. And give her this, as a gift from me."

I took the rose and curtsied. I waited until the royals had continued on their journey and the crowd had started to dissolve before I headed back to Maleficent's castle. I ran back as fast as I could, knowing how close I had gotten to being in really big trouble.

As I was running back, I kept thinking to myself about what had just happened. The fact that the Prince acted as if he actually cared about the people seemed strange to me. I had always thought that royals only looked out for themselves. I couldn't seem to understand why he would give my "dying mother" a flower when he had never; in fact, I had never met her either.

When I finally got back, I stopped a minute to regain my composer before entering Maleficent's presence. Once I made it up to her room, I knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

"Come in," she said. Over the years she seemed to know when I was outside the door versus anyone else. I entered the room and closed the door behind me. She was sitting at her side table, flipping through a book.

"Well," she said in her usual emotionless voice.

"Nothing about the Princess, your Excellency."

She closed her eyes for a minute, which she did whenever she was trying to think without any outside distractions. She then let out a sigh and turned towards me.

"I expected just as much," Her eyes then grew big as she saw the flower that was in my hands. "What are you doing with that?"

I looked down at the rose, "Oh, this? Prince Philip gave it to me."

This seemed to interest her because she didn't say a word and motioned for me to continue. "He gave it to me after I said I was heading home to be with my 'sick and dying mother'."

Then Maleficent's eyes grew wider than before, her face was white as a sheet, or what I assumed was white for her.

I quickly followed up with, "It was the quickest excuse I could think of without him asking too many questions or following me back here."

Maleficent's face then returned to its normal color and her expression became cross. She then rose and walked towards me. Even though I was 21 at the time, Maleficent was still taller than me and had the ability to make me feel extremely small and powerless.

"That is the last time you will ever leave this castle. Your carelessness could have lead to here or worse! Do I make myself clear?" Even though she wasn't shouting, her voice boomed throughout the room.

I tried my best to keep my composure, but I am sure that if she had looked in my eyes, she would have seen the fear that I was hiding.

"Perfectly."

"Good, now go." I curtsied and left the room. It wasn't until I was in the hall that I noticed I still had the flower in my hand. I walked up to a window and dropped the flower, and hoping that I would never have to deal with something like that again.

As I watched it fall into the bottomless cavern that surrounded the castle, I knew that things were not the way that they should be. That Maleficent had more on her mind than finding the princess. That I was simply a pawn in the big scheme of things, and Maleficent was the one moving every piece.

The remaining years till the princess's sixteenth birthday passed by with little progress. Every chance that Maleficent could send out a frost she would, hoping that should any of the fairies changed the princess into something else, particularly a flower, she would surly die. No such new ever reached the castle, but this didn't surprise me much. With me being confined to the castle, very little about the outside world ever reached us.

Maleficent became more and more irritable and frustrated with every passing day. The deadline of the curse seemed to have a big effect on her, for she would speak in either short, harsh phrases or have long, dramatic speeches that she would usually say to Diablo or myself. In my opinion the speeches were her way to release some of her frustrations.

When it was only a few days till the princess' birthday, Maleficent sent out her army in one final attempt to find her. With the castle being almost completely empty, I mainly stayed with Maleficent most of the day. There wasn't much talking, but it was better than being alone all day. I was looking out the window when I saw that the soldiers were returning.

"They are back your excellence." She walked up behind me to see for herself. Her face became enraged. She turned and stormed out of the room. Diablo and I followed her into the throne room. The room was already filled with her soldiers, still with their weapons and holding their banners showing their allegiance to Maleficent. When Maleficent had reached her throne, I stood to the side, where I usually stood.

"Did you find her?" she asked the captain of the guard.

"Uhh…..umm…"

"Yes or no will suffice," she said through her teeth.

"No, not a trace," he said as he hung his head.

Maleficent then became furious, because lightning started erupting throughout the castle and the surrounding grounds. She then started angrily pacing back and forth, shaking her fist.

"Sixteen years, and not a trace of her!" More thunder erupted. The guards crouched behind their shields, hoping not to feel Maleficent's wrath. "She couldn't have vanished into thin air! Are you sure you searched everywhere?"

I turned to see how he would reply.

"Yup, yup, everywhere we all did." They all started chattering what I could only assume was agreements.

"And what about the town, the forests, the mountains?"

"Yeah, we checked mountains, uhh, forests, uhh, houses and uhh, let me see uhh, and all the cradles." He looked very proud showing off how dedicated they were to finding the girl.

The last part threw me. Cradles? He couldn't have said cradles. How stupid and dim witted could they be?

"Cradles?" It seemed that Maleficent shared my opinion on the matter.

"Yup, yup, every cradle," he said making a rocking motion with his hands.

"Cradle!" I slapped my hand to my forehead and shook my head in disbelief. They really were that dumb.

Maleficent then turned towards Diablo, and lifted his chin with her finger. "Did you hear that my pet? All these years they've been looking for a baby," she said motioning back towards the guards. The saddest part was that they were all nodding, not knowing that she was mocking them.

She then started to laugh. I knew that it was not because she found this amusing, but that they were actually stupid enough to not use common sense. They then started laughing along with her.

"Fools!" she shouted as more lightning lit the room. They all stopped their laughing and realized what trouble they were in. "Idiots! Imbeciles!"

She then started striking them down with lightning that erupted from her staff. They tried to run as mass chaos broke out. She started striking left and right, and one time almost hit me, making me shriek. Once all of them had left the room and were in hiding, Maleficent threw down her arms in frustration. I looked over to my right where Diablo had taken refuge from the attack. He looked just as scared as I was.

Maleficent then started walking towards her throne, saying "Oh they are hopeless. A disgrace to the forces of evil." Diablo flew over to her side once she sat down. She then turned towards him and held out her hand to him.

"My pet, you are my last hope." He hopped on her hand and looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

"Circle far and wide, search for a maid of sixteen, with hair of sunshine gold, and lips read as the rose." She stood and then gently tossed Diablo into the air. "Go, and do not fail me." I watched as he flew out the remains of what used to be a window.

Maleficent then slowly sat back down in her throne and placed her hand on her face and let out a long sigh. I wasn't sure what to do, for I had never seen Maleficent look so depressed before. I waited a few minutes in silence before I said anything.

"Should I bring you anything your excellence?"

Maleficent lifted her head and turned towards me, almost as if she had forgotten that I was standing there.

"Oh, no. Just sit with me for a bit." This seemed a very peculiar request from her, but I didn't question it and did as I was told. I sat at the edge of her throne and remained quiet. "Why must they be such fools?"

I knew that it was a rhetorical question, but I felt that I should answer it. "Perhaps it is due to the fact the all the smart ones died out years ago."

This seemed to cheer her up a little, for she snickered and a small smirk came across her face. "I suppose that might have something to do with it." She then patted my head, which trust me is not something I would have expected. It was even weirder because I wasn't a child anymore, but I guess in her eyes, I was.

Hoping to get out of the uncomfortable situation, I said, "I'll go make you your tea."

"Yes, that might help," she said as I scurried off towards the kitchen. When I was out of the throne room, I stopped and waited a minute, trying to figure out what had just happened. What had caused Maleficent to show emotion towards me? Was I just there so that she wouldn't lose her sanity from dealing with idiots all day? I pondered questions like this while I put a pot over the fire for the tea. Maybe there was something more to Maleficent than I was aware of.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks everyone for your patience. Sorry it has taken me so long to update this story, I lost my muse for awhile. I hope I haven't lost too many of you guys' interest in the story. The next chapter will be more from the movie, with the fulfillment of the curse and the capture of Prince Philip. Enjoy!**

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I brought Maleficent her tea as soon as it was done. She was still sitting in her throne when I returned, and it looked as if she hadn't moved at all. I handed her the cup and stood silently against the wall. Three hour passed by with nothing being said which I had become accustomed to being the norm. Maleficent would occasionally take a sip from her glass and turn her head back towards the window that Diablo had left from. The quiet was so comforting that I noticed I was starting to drift off to sleep. I caught myself before I could succumb to sleep's powerful hold over me. I looked up to see that Diablo was coming back.

"Your excellence, he is returning!" Maleficent then turned her head quickly. Diablo was flying relatively fast for him. I was hoping that it was because of good news, who knew what would have happened had it hadn't of been.

When he entered the window, you could tell he was out of breath and that what he had found out was big. He was taking big breaths when Maleficent started her questioning.

"Did you find her?" Diablo started nodding fiercely. I leaned in closer, anxious to hear what he had found. I still didn't understand what he said, but usually Maleficent would tell me if I asked.

He started squawking furiously, jumping up and down on the arm of Maleficent's throne. As he continued hopping up and down, Maleficent's expression slowly changed from curiosity to a sinister smile. I could tell that she was already formulating a plan in her head. Maleficent held out her hand to Diablo, and placed him on her shoulder. She then stood up and looked over towards me.

"Go tell the captain of the guard to prepare his men. We have a peasant boy to catch."

I was about to leave when she said, "You will accompany Diablo in leading them."

I felt extremely shocked. I hadn't been allowed to help with anything outside of the castle in years. I curtsied and followed Diablo down to the part of the castle that the guards would usually stay when there weren't out fulfilling Maleficent's orders.

I had never been down there before, mainly because I had no reason to and wasn't that anxious either. As I descended the stairs, a foul stench started to fill the air. It was almost like the smell of rotten fish. I shouldn't have expected any different from them considering how they always left a mess where ever they went. As we drew closer and closer to the end of the stair case, the stench grew and the lighting became dimmer and dimmer.

As I passed the guards they stared at me with looks of curiosity and distaste. I knew they weren't fond of me, but they also knew that I had very little patience for them. I continued to follow Diablo towards where the captain of the guard was sitting and stuffing his face with food. Diablo landed on the table in front of the guard and squawked at him. He paused for a minute, his hand with a chicken leg just beyond his mouth, and then continued to eat.

In between bites, he seemed to mutter something along the lines of, "stupid bird…worse than the girl."

"I heard that," I said to him with crossed arms. He turned back around towards me, a look of distaste on his face.

"What are you doing down here? You can clean when I am done."

"What makes you think I came down here for you and your mess?"

"Because it's your job," he said with a snicker.

"Not down here it isn't," his smile started to fade, "but I didn't come down here because of the view or to chat with you. Maleficent wants you to ready the troops," I turned towards the way I came, and when I noticed he was still glaring at me I replied, "Immediately."

As I left back towards the throne room, it surprised me how that last word I said had the same cold bite to it that Maleficent had. I guess after all these years she was starting to rub off on me. Diablo was flying slightly to the side of me as we walked back, neither of us looking at the other.

When we returned to the throne room, Maleficent was pacing the floor. As she heard us approach, she turned her head towards us.

"They shall be ready momentarily," I said with a curtsy. Diablo continued to fly towards Maleficent and landed on her shoulder. She softly petted his head as she resumed her pacing. The room remained silent until the clattering of spears, shields, and swords could be heard, growing louder and louder as the guards entered the throne room. As the last ones filed in and all clattering came to a halt, Diablo flew towards one of the columns at the side of the room, and Maleficent spoke.

"Captain, pick your finest…warriors." She said the last word in such a sarcastic way that he didn't notice her distaste. "They will follow Helen and Diablo into the woods. You are to set up for an ambush for this evening."

"Yes, your excellence." He then turned and started grumbling something to the other guards beside him, but I couldn't make it out.

Maleficent then turned towards me. "Diablo will lead you to the cottage. Wait there until I arrive." I nodded in understanding. "But first, I have a princess I have to put to sleep." Flames then surrounded her and within a moment, she had vanished. Once she had vanished, I turned back towards the guards, who were all staring at me.

"Have you picked your men, Captain?" About twenty guards stepped forwards, trying their best to look intimidating. "The rest of you will guard the castle until we return." They all filed out of the room except for the guards who were to go with Diablo and myself to this cottage in the forest.

"We are going to prepare an ambush in the woods. Diablo will lead way." With Diablo flying out first, we all filed out of the room, with me at the front of the line. As we headed further and further down the mountain, the clouds started to lift and the sky started to get lighter and lighter. We continued on at a rather fast pace for what seemed like half an hour, traveling further and further into denser forest. It wasn't until it seemed like we were never going to find this mysterious hiding place of the princess that we came to a clearing that had a small cottage.

I signaled for the guards to wait behind the trees, as Diablo flew up to the house looking to see if anyone was there. When he flew back towards us, I knew that they were still there. We waited until four figures appeared from inside the cottage. Three which I could tell were the fairies, but the fourth one I had never seen before. I knew that it was the princess, but she wore a hooded cloak, so I couldn't get a very good look at her, but from the way she hung her head, she seemed to be depressed. They slowly walked away in the direction of King Stephan's castle, making very little sound.

Once they were out of sight, the guards ran into the house as quickly as their stubby legs could carry them. I slowly walked in after them, admiring the beauty of the forest. If there was any place to hide the princess for sixteen years, it would be here. It was so far away from curious eyes that very few people were likely to come anywhere close to the cottage and its inhabitants.

The inside of the cottage was not extremely large. There was only one room on the lower level, and a single bedroom up the stairs. Trying to imagine how four people lived in such a small space for that long of a time seemed so bizarre. The guards were rummaging around through all the trunks and draws, looking for anything of value that they could keep for themselves. As they continued their antics, I pulled over one of the stools that were at the table to the window. I sat down and tried to drown out the noise that was being made behind me.

"And now, we wait."

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